Success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayl of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I Love...My Babe

(I can barely believe that those pictures are of the same girl-how fast they grow)

Prayer For a Daughter

God of man and God of nature,

Shape my daughter like the seasons.

Give her all the song of springtime

And the subtlety of April,

Generosity of summer,

Warmth and all the sweet fulfillment,

And the sparkling wit of Autumn,

Color like October hillsides.

Lest her charms may be too many,

Give her something of the winter:

Stars and distances and silence,

Courage of the open spaces,

Wisdom of the waiting branches.

Don't forget to give her winter.

Esther Wood

Inspiration

A little quote :

" There is a direct relationship between self nurturing and our capacity for a sustained creative flow. We don't want to work spasmodically and sporadically. We want to work consistently and creatively. This means we must treat ourselves as finely tuned mechanisms. We must learn what makes us thrive and give ourselves a diet of those nutrients."

pg. 97, Letters to a Young Artist, Julia Cameron

I think this is true for everyone- not just 'artists'- how much better would our lives be if we could identify and feed ourselves only what we needed in order to thrive?

Learning...

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy"- William Blake.

I feel like this quote is so appropriate for how I'm feeling lately, I almost can't wait for winter- for quiet, and solitude. I say almost because I'd really like my tomatoes to ripen up before I harvest them- so a few more days of warmth would be welcome. The air is crisp- my toes want socks, and the big blanket is on the bed, It's officially fall, and the quiet fall days of my maternity leave are not happening this year, University is starting today, and with it my Marking and T.A-ing starts, and also it's craft sale season, and for the first time I'm on the selling end of these sales- which is a bit daunting.

I'm not just toiling over salsa, and blanched tomatoes- though I plan to do that too, this year Fall is for learning how to balance this motherhood/homemaking gig with other occupations, which will hopefully work well together, but one never knows, just because you work from home doesn't mean you always time to clean the fridge or read stories- or shower even, if we're honest.

I feel lucky to be able to do this job of Full-Time-Mama from home, and also to have a job that can be worked from home, but it's a bit non-stop if you know what I mean. The attachment parenting principle of Balance, is the one that's hard, the one where you have time to groom yourself as well as teach your child, and feed your soul, that what I have to work on.

Breathe

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependant on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do"- Galileo

This quote puts everything in perspective for me- that no matter how busy we are- no matter what giant tasks we have on our lists, the smallest of our tasks is also important. And that even while focusing on the big ticket items we can spare some concentration for the daily minutiae. But most importantly to me it implies that you can do so lovingly- that a full busy life is no excuse to slog through the daily routine, frustrated that you have to stop what you're doing and, yet again, change a diaper.

It's no secret that savouring the small moments is key to enjoying your life, but for me this quote allowed me to see 'interruptions' as a chance to collect my breath, and relax, to step outside the big picture, if only for a moment- when I can remember to think of it, that is.